Sister City Program

The City of Petoskey established a Sister City relationship with Makino, Japan in 1976. Makino (which later was merged with other municipalities to form the City of Takashima) is in Shiga Prefecture, the Sister State of Michigan since 1968. The Michigan Shiga Sister State Board organizes a Goodwill Mission every year between the two states; even years the Shiga delegation comes to Michigan and odd years the Michigan delegation travels to Shiga.

A major part of the Goodwill Mission exchange is the home stay, which offers opportunities for Michigan and Shiga residents to deepen friendships and cultural understanding between our sister states. These goodwill missions are truly unique experiences and have resulted in many lifelong friendships between past participants from Michigan and Shiga.

Over the years, dozens of Petoskey residents have experienced this unique and rewarding way to experience the Japanese culture. For more information on how you can get involved visit www.mishiga.org.